Foxconn has big plans for Brazil and the manufacturing giant just took another step toward realizing them. Parent company Hon Hai on Friday announced that subsidiary Foxconn CMMSG Industria de Electronicos has purchased more land in Brazil, AFP reports. The transaction with Toulouse Incorporacao will see Foxconn gain approximately 350 acres and it will cost the company $12.64 million. Foxconn said previously that it planned to invest $492 million in a new facility in Sao Paulo, and it currently runs four other factories in Brazil.

Foxconn announced in August last year that it was planning to have 1 million robots up and running in its factories within three years. As promised, the first batch of 10,000 “Foxbots” have already made an appearance in one Chinese factory, with 20,000 more planned by the end of the year. The Foxconn-built Foxbots are estimated to cost between $20,000 and $25,000, but reportedly aren’t good for anything beyond repetitive tasks that involve item “lifting, selecting and placement.” The mechanical arm-like Foxbots are likely not capable of producing products such as the iPhone 5 that require extremely intricate assembly. With 1.2 million employees, and 1 million robots planned, the big question is how many workers will actually be put out of work? After all, Foxconn will still need people to oil up the Foxbots if they ever malfunction.

While it’s unlikely that iPhones will have “Made in the U.S.A.” proudly stamped on them anytime soon, that doesn’t mean American tech manufacturing is dead. Unnamed sources have told Digitimes that iPhone manufacturer Foxconn has “plans to establish manufacturing plants in the US and is currently conducting evaluations in cities such as Detroit and Los Angeles.” Although these plants aren’t likely to churn out iPhones, they may assemble LCD TVs and other electronics that can be produced more through automated machines and require less human labor. Digitimes also says that Foxconn may be planning more training courses for American engineers that would give them the opportunity “to learn the Chinese language” as well as “first-hand expereince [sic] in the manufacturing process, and a training that can be helpful after they return to the US.”

Still can’t get an iPhone 5? It might be Apple’s (AAPL) fault and not just a display production shortage. According to The Wall Street Journal, a Foxconn official who wished to remain anonymous said the “iPhone 5 is the most difficult device that Foxconn has ever assembled” and even now, workers are still learning how to manufacture the smartphones to meet Apple’s high standards. More →

After conducting an internal investigation, Foxconn (2038) issued a statement saying it discovered some of its interns at its Yantai facility in the Shandong Province were as young as 14-years-old, two years under China’s legal employment age. The company responsible for mass-producing some of the world’s most popular gadgets including the iPhone 5 told CNET in an emailed statement:“This is not only a violation of China’s labor law, it is also a violation of Foxconn policy and immediate steps have been taken to return the interns in question to their educational institutions.”

China Labor Watch is reporting that another Foxconn strike broke out on Friday at the Zhengzhou factory in China. The report says 3,000 to 4,000 Foxconn (2038) are complaining about Apple’s (AAPL) demanding quality standards for the iPhone 5. China Labor Watch further reports that workers are under immense pressure to deliver iPhone 5’s without receiving adequate training on how to improve yield rates.

Approximately 40 people were injured and 20 were arrested when a massive riot broke out Sunday at Foxconn’s (2038) Taiyuan plant in Northern China. Details are still conflicting, however early reports from Engadget suggest the incident began after a security guard struck a worker during anti-Japan protests at around 10:00 p.m. local time on Sunday. The plant, which manufactures magnesium alloy components and LED lighting products, has been closed following the incident. Reports suggest as many as 2,000 workers were involved. Foxconn issued a preliminary statement suggesting the incident was triggered by “a fight among workers from different production lines,” but the company noted it is “still investigating the cause of the fight and the number of people involved.” A video of the riot follows below. More →

Foxconn (2317) is reportedly interested in doubling its planned stake in Sharp (SHCAY) from 9.9% to nearly 20%, according to a report from Japan’s economic journal The Nikkei. In March, Foxconn agreed to invest more than $800 million in the troubled Japanese company, a move that would see it become Sharp’s largest outside shareholder. The deal was to be finalized by March 2013, with Foxconn agreeing to pay 550 yen per share. The Taiwanese manufacturing giant is now asking Sharp to decrease the previously agreed upon price to 200 yen per share however, because its stock price has declined in recent months. While the Japanese company continues to struggle financially, allowing Foxconn to increase its stake in the company may not be its best bet. If Foxconn is able to increase its stake beyond 10%, it will reportedly have the ability to ask a court to dissolve Sharp, which would allow Foxconn to increase its voice in controlling the fate of one of Japan’s oldest companies. More →

Foxconn (2354) is planning to invest between $5 and $10 billion over the next 5 to 10 years in a production plant in Indonesia, Reuters reported. The plant will initially be responsible for the assembly and production of an estimated three million handsets per year, according to Indonesia’s Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan. The first investment will begin in October of this year and in July 2013, the project will move to phase two, where Foxconn will begin to build a plant of its own and increase production to 10 million units per year. The Taiwanese company previously revealed that it was interested in Indonesia for its high rate of economic growth compared to Malaysia and Vietnam. Foxconn, known best for assembling Apple’s (AAPL) smartphones, tablets and computers, already operates several manufacturing plants in China and Brazil, where the company recently came under fire for its alleged harsh treatment of employees. More →

Manufacturing heavyweight Foxconn (2354) is reportedly interested in acquiring board seats at Sharp Electronics (6753), DigiTimes reported on Friday. The company received three non-executive board seats at Sharp Display earlier this month after it acquired a 46.48% stake in the company, equivalent to 1.32 million shares. In response to reports that it was seeking a board seat at Sharp Display’s parent company, Foxconn reportedly said that “the company’s focus in cooperating with Sharp is to help complement each’s weakness to allow each side to achieve maximum benefits.” The company did say “a board seat is not really the main focus of Foxconn,” however, adding that it’s “hoping to have more substantial influence to help Sharp improve its management and sales and raise the panel maker’s profitability.” Sharp Display currently supplies display panels used in Apple’s latest iPad, and it is rumored to be building TV panels for Apple’s rumored HDTV, which is expected to launch early next year. More →